Granulating and feeding device for brick-machines



L. EMENS.

GRANULATING'AND FEEDING DEVICE EoE BRICK MACHINES.

(No Model.)

Patented Apr. 5, 1887.

witvwooao N. FEIERS. Pmwulha npher, Wuhingwn. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

CHARLES L. EMENS, OF HOLTON, MICHIGAN.

GRANULATING AND FEEDING DEVICE FOR BRICK-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 360,568, datd April 5, 1887.

Application filed May 13 1886. Serial No. 202,049. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. minus, a citizen of the United States, residing at Holton, in the county of Muskegon and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Granulating and Feeding Devices for Brick-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in granulating and feeding devices for brick-machines or other clay-working machinery; and it consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, as will hereinafter be fully described, and then more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved granulating and feeding device for claywvorking machinery. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same, and Fig. 31s a cross-section on the line 00 m of Fig. 2.

Likeletters of reference designatclike parts in all the figures.

Hitherto it has been customary, in preparing clay for stiff-clay-working machinery for the manufacture of brick or tile, to granulate the clay, mix the same with sand, and otherwise prepare it for the molding process of the brick or other clay-working machinery by hand labor, and a'considerable force of workmen has usually been required for the purpose. By my improved devices herein described it is intended to supplant this slow and laborious method by providing mechanical appliances which will dispense with the necessity of a force of workmen to disintegrate the clay, and will enable the clay, sand, and other substances which are commonly placed therewith to be more thoroughly intermingled, and consequently more serviceable, in making bricks or other molded-clay goods.

A represents an inclined trough of any suitable form, constructed with inclined longitudinal sides and of a V shape, at the bottom of which is the granulating or feed screw. This trough is located adjacent to a platform, B, upon which, when desired, the clay may be placed in thesame condition that it comes from the clay-beds. One end of the trough opens immediately over a hopper or spout, D, which communicates with the brick-machine O. The trough is generally made open-topped, and is situated in an upwardly-inclined position toward the hopper D, so that the clay which is granulated and intermixed with sand, &c., may likewise be gradually fed forward to the brick-machine by the rotative action of the granulating and disintegrating mechanism. The upward inclination of the trough is one of the characteristics of my machine, by virtue of which I am enabled to accomplish a more complete and thorough disintegration of the clay, for,as the revolution of the feed-screw pushes the clay forward up the incline and granulates it to a certain extent, the clay will have a tendency to fall or gravitate backward, so as to be brought again under the action of the same anger of the screw, thus causing the clay to be more completely granulated and more thoroughly mixed withthe sand, so that when delivered to the clay-working machine it will be of a fine quality and evenly mixed, thus giving a superior value to the resulting clay goods.

\Vithin the bottom of the trough A is located a peculiarly-constructed screw, E, whose shaft a is journaled at either end in suitable boxes. The extremity of the screw-shaft a farthest away from the brickmachine and outside of the trough, through whose end it extends, is provided with a gear-wheel, F, which engages a pinion, G, on the end of a shaft, 1), the other extremity of which latter shaft carries a beveled disk, H. A shaft, 0. is situated at right angles to the shaft 1), and is provided with a paper friction, I, which rests in frictional contact with the disk H, and also with a driving-pulley, J, which connects with and is actuated by any suitable driving power. The shaft 0 is journaled at either end in boxes, the box nearest the paper friction being what is commonly denominated a slid ing box, whereby the wheels I and H are enabled to be brought into'contact or removed from one another. The manipulation of the sliding box in order to accomplish the desired ICO result is effected by means of a vertical hand- I stiff-clay to thoroughly mix his sand and clay lever, K, pivoted at its lowermost extremity to the frame, and connecting with the sliding box by means of a short connecting-rod, d.

I have thus described one style of machinery by means of which a rotative motion is imparted to the feed-screw; but I desire it to be understood that I do not intend to limit myself to any peculiar actuating mechanism for said screw, but reserve the liberty of employing any well-known device to accomplish the result.

The screw E does not consist of a regular and continuous spiral; but the screws are cast in sections, each one forming one-half of the pitch, and consisting of a semicircular plate secured to a hub. The hub of each piece projects slightly past the end of the screw-section to which it belongs, and these hubs being arranged in a continuous line upon the screwshaft a, and properly secured in place, there will be a greater or less break between each screw-section and its predecessor. This construction of the screw renders more effective service as a granulator.

Across the trough A at intervals is placed a transverse rod, m, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This series of rods, in conjunction with the rotating screws serves to accomplish a more thorough disintegration of the clay.

The operation of the machine is evident without further description. The clay is first deposited upon the platform, whence it is thrown into the trough A; or, when the platform is dispensed with for any reason, the clay and sand are delivered directly to the opentopped trough. The revolution of the screw acting on the clay will granulate the same and at the same time feed it forward in its improved condition to the machine for molding the bricks or other clay goods.

Heretofore, in the making of clay goods by the stiff-clay process, manufacturers have been able with the machines at their command to mix the ingredients-such as clay and sand onlyimperfectly, so that it was expedient to use only a limited amount of sand, if any at all, and when sand was used it was generally left in seams by itself, making the brick worse than if no sand had been employed. The object ofmy invention was therefore to supply this great want and to enable the manufacturer of preparatory to the molding process. With my improved machine any amount required can be used, and it will be mixed evenly and thoroughly through the clay, thus cutting and destroying the laminations in the brick,which have been such a source of annoyance to brickmakers and loss to their patrons by the brick peeling off in flakes or laminated structures. The granulating devices are so arranged that each little granule of clay is rolled in sand and is introduced into the brick-machine in the best possible condition for the molding of a perfect brick.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is H V V.

1. A granulator and feeder for brick and other stiff-clayworking machinery, consisting of the combination of the upwardly-inclined trough, the longitudinal rotative screw situated therein, the hopper of the brick ma chine, and suitable mechanism for imparting motion to the screw, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a granulator and feeder for stiff-clayworking machines, the combination, with an upwardly-inclined trough, of a granulatingscrew consisting of a central shaft carrying a series of screw-sections, each one composed of a hub and a semicircular plate, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

3. The combination of an upwardly inclined open-topped trough, a hopper, a series of transverse rods secured to the trough, a granulatingscrew consisting of shaft and a series of hubs placed thereon, each having a semicircular plate, and means, as described, for imparting a rotary motion to said screw, as specified and shown.

4. The combination of an upwardly inclined trough having inclined sides, afcedscrew located therein, the hopper of the brickniachine located adjacent to the upper end of the trough, and suitable mechanism for revolving the screw, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signatu rein presence of two witnesses.

UHAI-LLES L. EMENS. lVitnesses:

Ros'r'. E. BUNKER, FRANK l-I. Bassn'r'r. 

